Ex-deputy to appear in Wallowa County Circuit Court Wednesday

September 10, 2013 08:35 am

ENTERPRISE — A preliminary hearing is set for Wednesday for Daniel Courtney, the Wallowa County man police say shot his brother-in-law.

Police say Courtney, 47, of Enterprise shot his brother-in-law Randy Dickenson in the chest after an altercation on family property in rural Enterprise on July 14. Courtney was charged with second-degree assault and was released on $50,000 bail.

The case was turned over to the Oregon State Police and Michael McCauley, senior assistant attorney general for the state of Oregon, because the county deems it a conflict of interest. Courtney is a former Wallowa County deputy sheriff.

Court files indicated that a grand jury would be convened between Aug. 18 and Aug. 30, but Jeff Manning, spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Justice, said it was postponed until September because the case is still under investigation.

On Aug. 26, Courtney was back in court filing stalking orders on his mother, Sue Sasser, and her boyfriend, Fred Warnock. According to court files, Sasser and Warnock drove by Courtney's residence in Lostine and stopped while a passenger in the vehicle, which court document say was Dickenson, “threatened to kill Dan Courtney.”

A temporary stalking protective order was issued and both Sasser and Warnock were ordered to stop stalking Courtney and his immediate family.